NEW DELHI: Former finance minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stalwart Arun Jaitley died on Saturday after a long battle with illness. The 66-year-old veteran BJP leader, who held several important portfolios in his political career spanning over four decades, breathed his last at 12.07 PM on Saturday the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in New Delhi. 


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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is currently in UAE, paid his heartfelt tributes to his long-time friend and party colleague Arun Jaitley soon after hearing about his demise. The Prime Minister also spoke with Jaitley's wife and son, who insisted that he should not cut short his foreign visit, according to news agency ANI. Besides PM Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind and top leaders cutting across the party lines expressed their deepest condolences to Jaitley's family over his death. 


In pics: Remembering Arun Jaitley, the BJP stalwart


Here are the latest updates - 


# In a heartfelt tribute, Prime Minister Narendra said, "Mera dost Arun chala gaya. (My friend Arun is gone)." Referring to the late BJP leader as "Bhai" (brother) throughout the speech, the PM added, "We started the political journey together and his death is a personal loss for me." He also remmembered late BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, who passed away earlier this month. 


 


# Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu got emotional while paying his last respects to late Arun Jaitley:



 


#Union Home Minister Amit Shah pays last tributes to Arun Jaitley, saying that he acted as a crusader against corruption. 


"Arun Jaitley`s demise is an unbearable loss to the workers of BJP. As a student leader, he was jailed for 19 months during the emergency. As a Member of Parliament, he always raised the voice of the people and acted as a crusader against corruption," Shah told media here."Whenever I faced trouble in my life, Arun Jaitley ji stood by me. Today he is not with us anymore, I pray to the Almighty to give peace to the departed soul and give strength to his family and BJP workers, to cope with this loss," he added.


# Former PM Manmohan Singh, Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi reach Jaitley's residence to pay last tributes to the former Union minister.  


# Congress leaders Anand Sharma, Ghulam Nabi Azad tribute to veteran BJP leader Arun Jaitley.


# Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to reach Jaitley's residence soon.


# Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman pays tribute to former Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley;


 



 


# Defence Minister Rajnath Singh pays tribute to Jaitley, says "The nation will never forget his contribution, he was an asset to the party, the government when he was part of it, and the country. He is not with us anymore, I pay tribute to him."


# Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik & Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Pinaki Misra pay tribute to Arun Jaitley.


# Veteran BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani pays tribute to former Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley:


 



 


# Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh tweets tributes: 



# Former Vice President Hamid Ansari, Congress leaders Rajeev Shukla and Ahmad Patel reach Jaitley's residence.


#NCP leader Nawab Malik condoles death of Arun Jaitley, says his death is not only a loss to the BJP, but also to the political scenario of the country.


#The Indian cricket team will be wearing black armbands on day three of the first Test match against West Indies in Antigua as a mark of respect for former finance minister Arun Jaitley who died earlier today.


#Punjab CM Amarinder Singh condoles the death of senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley. "Sad to hear that former Union Minister #ArunJaitley ji has passed away. My thoughts are with his family in this time of grief. May his soul rest in peace," Punjab CM tweeted.



#Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad pay tribute to veteran BJP leader  Arun Jaitley.


#Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia along with his family, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy CM Manish Sisodia pay tribute to Arun Jaitley followng the latter's death at AIIMS today. 


#Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik condoles the death of Arun Jaitley, and says, "It's a big loss for BJP, country & for me personally. He was a very talented person, brilliant people like him are rarely seen in politics. I pray to the almighty to give peace to his soul and give strength to his family at this moment of grief."


#Uttarakhand government declares state mourning for a day following the demise of Arun Jaitley; the national flag will fly at half-mast.


#External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar pays tribute to former finance minister Arun Jaitley at his residence.


#President Ram Nath Kovind pays tribute to former union finance minister Arun Jaitley, following the latter's demise at AIIMS today.


#BJP leader Narayan Chatterjee pays last respects to Arun Jaitley at Ahiritola Ganga ghat in West Bengal. See pics-




#Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, P Javadekar condoles the death of Arun Jaitley. BJP has lost one of its diamonds, Arun Jaitley. An orator par excellence, he was a master of articulation. We have lost many leaders in one year, Atal ji, Ananth Kumar, Manohar Parrikar, Sushma Swaraj and now Arun Jaitley. We deeply mourn his death, says the Union minister.


#Union Home Minister Amit Shah pays tribute to former Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley at his Delhi residence.


#Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will pay tribute to former finance minister Arun Jaitley, on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a three-nation foreign tour.


#BJP president Amit Shah reaches Delhi residence of Arun Jaitley to pay his respects to the former finance minister's family.


#Mortal remains of former finance minister Arun Jaitley have been brought to his Delhi residence from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), where he died, earlier today.


#Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani condoles the death of Arun Jaitley, says it is a huge loss not only for the BJP, but  for the nation as well. Saying that Jaitley had contributed deeply in strengthening the BJP, Gujarat CM asserts that after this is a big shock for the BJP after the demise of Sushma Swaraj.


# Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray condoles Arun Jaitley's death, calls it a 'personal loss' for his party. The man who kept the BJP-led NDA alliance intact is no more with us. He will be deeply missed, the Sena chief said in his message.   


# RBI Governor Shaktikant Das also expressed his deepest condolences to Arun Jaitley's family over his demise. ''Deeply saddened by the untimely demise of Shri Arun Jaitley. No words to describe the sense of grief. A great personality. Unique combination of extraordinary knowledge, the sharpness of mind and wisdom. Above all a good human being. May his soul rest in peace. Worked with him very closely during Demonetisation,'' he said.


# ''Deeply saddened to know of the untimely demise of former Union minister and senior BJP leader, Sh #ArunJaitley. My heartfelt condolences to his family members. May God give them strength. May his soul rest in peace,'' Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot tweeted condoling BJP leader's death.



# PM Narendra Modi pays tribute to Arun Jaitley, calls him 'political giant, towering intellectual'






# Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy condoles Arun Jaitley's death. ''Sorry to hear about the demise of #ArunJaitley ji, an articulate, intellect and affable leader. In his 4-decade long political career, he made notable contributions in the service of nation and stood up for values. My prayers are with his family and friends in this hour of grief,'' tweets Andhra CM. 



# Congress expresses grief over Arun Jaitley's death. "We are deeply saddened to hear the passing of Shri Arun Jaitley. Our condolences to his family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them in this time of grief,'' Congress says in a tweet.



# Untimely demise of former FM and senior leader Arun Jaitley Ji is a huge loss to the nation. A legal luminary and an experienced political leader known for his governance skills will be missed by the country. Thoughts and prayers with his family in this moment of grief. RIP: Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi CM



# Home Minister Amit Shah condoles the demise of his party colleague and former Union Minister Arun Jaitley.     



# Home Minister Amit Shah has cut short his visit to Hyderabad and is returning to Delhi following the death of senior party leader Arun Jaitley.


# Arun Jaitley Ji served the nation in several capacities and he was an asset to the government and the party organisation. He always had a deep and clear understanding of the issues of the day. His knowledge and articulation won him several friends: Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister. 



# The BJP veteran breathed his last at 12.07 PM at AIIMS.


#Arun Jaitley, former Finance Minister and BJP stalwart, dies at 66 at AIIMS, News Delhi.


Jaitley, a lawyer-turned-politician, enjoyed cordial ties with politicians across the spectrum. He was of the most powerful ministers in PM Modi's first term. Jaitley was also acknowledged as the ultimate backroom strategist of BJP.   


Several top political leaders rushed to the AIIMS minutes after hearing the news of Jaitley's demise. The Nitish Kumar government said that Bihar will observe a two-day state mourning as a mark of respect for Arun Jaitley. 


From AIIMS, around 2.30 PM, Jaitley's mortal remains will be taken to his residence in Kailash Colony for people to pay their last respects. His mortal remains will be taken to the BJP headquarters on Sunday for the general public and the party workers to pay their last respects to the departed leader. The BJP veteran's last rites will be held at the Nigam Bodh Ghat around 2 PM. 


Jaitley was admitted to the AIIMS on August 9 and was later put on the ventilator. His condition improved but he remained under doctors' observation. On August 16, the BJP leader's health once again deteriorated and he was put on life support.


Jaitley underwent bariatric surgery to correct the weight gain due to his long-standing diabetic condition in September 2014 and renal transplant at AIIMS in May 2018. He also underwent a surgery in the US on January 22, and miss ed presenting Narendra Modi government's sixth Union Budget as the Finance Minister in 2018.